Chapter Policies

HRMA Policy on Advertising and Sponsorships
by Members, Vendors and Supporters
(Revision Adopted 2/27/07 by HRMA Board)

The primary support of the Human Resource Management Association (HRMA) comes from its members. Advertising and sponsorship fees provide sources of revenue that help defray some of our operating expenses. The purpose of this policy is to provide guidelines for anyone seeking to promote their products or services to HRMA members and guests. Advertisements and sponsorships are usually limited to HR-related products and services.

Organization Background: Human Resources Management Association, HRMA is the Princeton chapter of SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management. HRMA has approximately 150 members, including: HR VPs; directors; managers; generalists; HR-related consultants; and academicians. Many have specialty areas of practice.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is the leading voice of the human resource profession. SHRM provides education and information services, conferences and seminars, government and media representation, online services and publications to more than 165,000 professional and student members throughout the world. The Society, the world's largest human resource management association, is a founding member of the North American Human Resource Management Association (NAHRMA) and a founding member of the World Federation of Personnel Management Associations (WFPMA). More information about SHRM is available at www.shrm.org.

General Terms and Conditions:

1. HRMA reserves the right to refuse any advertisement. The Sponsorship Committee, the Communications VP, and/or the HRMA Board will determine appropriateness and format requirements of advertisements submitted for dissemination.
2. Payment to HRMA must be made in advance of advertisement.
3. Submission of Advertising Contract Form and payment implies acceptance of terms (both may be submitted online through the HRMA website or mailed to the address appearing on the form).

Methods of communicating with the HRMA membership, limitations of each, and fees:

• Newsletter: Published 3 to 4 times per year, and is accessible to anyone viewing the public area of the website. Archived copies remain available indefinitely. Maximum space available for advertising is one-quarter the size of the publication.

  Fees per publication:

  Full Page	$200
  Half Page	$110
  Quarter Page	$60
  Eighth Page (Business Card)	$35

Newsletter sponsorship may also be available through fee equivalent bartered service.

• Monthly Meeting Announcement: Advertisement in the monthly meeting announcement includes emailed notices and “Additional Event Information” page (homepage link), is limited to a single sponsor, and is expressed similar to the following:
  • "Co. Name is pleased to provide this announcement for HRMA"
  • "Co. Name extends best wishes to the HRMA membership through the sponsorship of this mailing"
  • "This mailing is sponsored compliments of Co. Name." The advertisement can be accompanied by an image button (icon) linked to the sponsor’s URL.

Fee is $200 per meeting or equivalent bartered service.

• Purchase of mailing labels or email list: HRMA does not sell or rent labels and email addresses. HRMA may co-sponsor special events (e.g., Garden State Council conferences, and SHRM membership audits) and provide a single set of contact labels or email addresses to be used for the single event. These exceptions must be approved by the Board on a case-by-case basis.

• Meeting sponsorship (including holiday and special events). Sponsor receives five-minute courtesy announcement/commercial. Fee is $200 to $500, according to the event sponsored. Requests from charitable organizations may warrant special consideration and will be referred to the Program Committee for consideration.
• Gifts or Prizes: Drawings at meetings, golf outings, etc: From time to time, firms may donate gifts for drawings, prizes or awards. These sponsors are rewarded with honorable mention at the event and in published materials and programs. Gifts to HRMA are not tax deductible.
• Website Sponsorships: Buttons (125 x 60 pixels and under 40k in size) are available according to the following price list (Larger Buttons may require special pricing):

Contract Period	Price per month
At least three months	$ 50
At least six months	$ 45
At least nine months	$ 40
At least twelve months	$ 35

Exclusive website sponsorship is sometimes available and is negotiated on a case-by-case basis.

• Job Postings : A position can be posted for a fee of $100 for the first month, and $50 per month thereafter. Only members can view the posts. HRMA members can post HR and OD positions free, as long as the job is located at the member’s place of employment.
• Other Sponsorships: The Board may, at its discretion, provide additional opportunities for advertisement and sponsorship.

Prices are subject to change anytime. The HRMA Board reserves the right to amend or otherwise modify its policy

The Advertising/Sponsorship Form and benefits of advertising with HRMA can be found by clicking on this Sponsorship Link.

Scott Richardson,
VP Communications

HRMA Policy on Newsletter Publications
(Revision Approved By HRMA Board, May 18^th, 2004)

Mission: According to the HRMA bylaws, the mission of HRMA is to "foster the professional development of its members, and the advancement of the field of human resources management and administration." Further stated, the organization is to "provide opportunities for networking and the exchange of knowledge, information, practices and procedures which mutually benefit all members, to encourage and facilitate the operating effectiveness of human resources administrators, to improve the standards of performance in the human resources management profession and to do any act or thing incidental to or connected with the foregoing purposes or in advancement thereof."

Purpose: The purpose of the Newsletter is to assist in the mission of HRMA by providing a medium for dissemination of knowledge, information, practices, and procedures, which provides benefit to all members. Further, the Newsletter provides opportunity for sponsorship, which helps to offset organizational expenses such as the cost of Newsletter publication.

Articles: The HRMA Newsletter contains 3 types of articles: Feature, committee report, and sponsorship/advertisement. Feature articles are generally less than 2000 characters in length, and are usually focused on a single topic of interest to the HR community. Committee reports are either event driven (e.g., reports from committee meetings, announcement of upcoming events, etc.) or informational (i.e., focused on topics germane to a specific committee). Sponsorship/advertisement articles are addressed in the "HRMA Policy on Advertising and Sponsorships by Members, Vendors and Supporters" (available on WWW.HRMA-NJ.org in the Policies section) and will not be addressed here.

Acceptance for Publication: HRMA reserves the right to refuse any article for publication. The Newsletter Committee, the Communications VP, and/or the HRMA Board will determine appropriateness and format requirements for articles submitted for publication to our membership.

Criteria for accepting manuscripts (Adapted from SHRM’s Writer’s Guidelines):

Feature articles have the best chance of being accepted for publication when they:

• ...provide new, cutting-edge information. Our readers are savvy, knowledgeable professionals. They already know the basics; they look to us for advanced information. Good articles give readers information they did not otherwise possess by, for example, making them aware of a new problem or showing them a new way of dealing with an old problem.
• ...are broadly applicable. Articles that deal with a situation or issue faced by most–or many–HR professionals stand the best chance of making it into print. Articles that deal with a narrower aspect of human resource management or with a particular industry (such as manufacturing or hi-tech) are acceptable only if they apply to most readers within those areas. For example, an article that applies only to specific types of manufacturers is less valuable than one that applies to all manufacturers.
• ...are well focused. The best stories make one or two major points convincingly. Before writing you should be able to clearly describe your topic in a sentence or two. If you can't, you may need to rethink your topic. For example, an unfocused description might be: This article will deal with the legal aspects of sexual harassment. (There are many legal aspects of sexual harassment–which ones will be discussed in the text?)
  A better description would read: This article will help HR professionals create a program for eliminating retaliation in sexual harassment cases.
• ...provide information from a number of sources. The best stories quote many sources–both subject matter experts and HR practitioners–or discuss how several companies have approached the same problem. Case studies of individual organizations are acceptable, but they must offer information and insights that are broadly applicable to other organizations, and quote multiple sources within the organization.
• ...quote knowledgeable, credible sources. Quotes can come from experts in a field, HR professionals with special knowledge of the topic being discussed, and participants in events or case studies being written about. Quotes should be concise and should further the discussion of the main points of the story. Quotes should not be excerpted and repeated from other publications and books, with rare exceptions that should be clearly attributed.
• ...offer enough information. Articles must give readers enough information to come to a conclusion, take action or be able to intelligently conduct further research on the topic. No article will ever answer all of a reader's questions. Good texts, however, anticipate and answer readers' most important questions and suggest resources for additional guidance.
• ...can be easily illustrated. Articles that are accompanied by charts, graphs or photos are more likely to be accepted and given favorable placement in the Newsletter.

Avoiding promotional writing (Adapted from SHRM’s Writer’s Guidelines):Our readers expect feature articles that are unbiased, even-handed and non-promotional in nature. As a result, HRMA’s Newsletter does not dedicate feature articles to any single, specific product. Doing so would be a disservice to our readers, who want several objective options for solving their workday problems. Our desire to avoid self-promotional articles does not preclude us from accepting informative manuscripts from experts and knowledgeable practitioners in the field of human resource management-such as consultants, attorneys, vendors and service providers. We understand that such authors naturally will be inclined to write about the topics they are most familiar with. However, to be accepted in the HRMA Newsletter, articles must be objective, offer advice that is broadly applicable and include information about competing products or services.

Suggestions on writing style (Adapted from SHRM’s Writer’s Guidelines):

1. Write clearly and concisely. Use simple language; make your point in as few words as possible.
2. Use the active voice, not the passive voice. For example, writing "it was decided" leaves questions in the readers' minds. (Who decided?) Writing "Smith decided" is stronger and more informative.
3. Define terms that may not be well known. Avoid jargon and clichés that may confuse readers or send them running for the dictionary. On first reference, spell out abbreviations or acronyms. If in doubt, define.
4. Make sure all direct quotes are accurate and are clearly attributed to a source. Be aware of what constitutes libel.
5. Do not submit academic-style papers with footnotes and numerous references to other publications. Such articles are not appropriate for the HRMA Newsletter
6. Use subheads. Subheads can help you organize an article and can facilitate transitions from one idea to another.
7. Whenever you name a company or organization in an article, include the city where that company is located or headquartered and a brief description of the nature of its business or mission.

Formatting(Adapted from SHRM’s Writer’s Guidelines):Articles may be submitted in Microsoft Word or some other popular word processing format. Charts and illustrations should be included at the end of the article or on a separate file. Do not place charts and illustrations within the main text.

Scott Richardson,
VP Communications

HRMA Policy on Communications and Data Security
(Adopted 2/27/07 by HRMA Board)

Overview HRMA developed the website and online database to automate and centralize chapter functions, and we now depend on this asset for many of our chapter operations.  Besides maintenance of the membership directory, the database along with the website: manages and tracks new-member and renewing-member processes; stores information used to publicize events; maintains the chapter calendar; and houses and publicizes member resumes and job opportunities. The website and database manages event registrations and stores contact information on guests as well as members. The capability to reach HR affiliated individuals, post image links on our home page, and place advertisements in the online Newsletter have a demonstrated capability to generate sponsorship to help offset chapter operating expenses. The website and database is being increasingly used to track and report financial transactions with our membership, including payment for events, application fees, and renewals.

The website and online database represent an ongoing investment by HRMA, constituting a real tangible asset for the chapter, including benefits for our members, attractiveness to potential members, savings through automation, and revenue generating capability through sponsorship add up to very significant value.

As stewards of this asset, we have a responsibility to protect and enhance this value. This involves maintaining user confidence in the information and data, ensuring only authorized use, honoring privacy contracts with our users, and continuing to maintain and improve the function and appearance of the system.

According to the HRMA Bylaws, the Vice President for Communications is responsible for management of this asset along with other duties. The purpose of this document is to define policy relevant to the website/online database and its use, in order to protect and enhance the value of this asset and to protect the privacy of our members and guests.

Maintaining user confidence in the information and data Information must be as accurate and complete as possible.  Members will be encouraged to keep their directory contact information current. A method will exist in the DB to flag and report incorrect email addresses, phone numbers, and company information.

When special projects require data to be extracted from the database, a written request (email is preferred) must be sent to the Vice President for Communications stating what information is needed, how it will be used, who will have access to the data, and duration for its use. The extracted information must not be kept beyond its stated duration without approval, and must not be used for other purposes (e.g., stored in a contacts DB or program) or shared with anyone else.  The written request will serve as audit documentation for tracking online access.

The online repository will always be considered as “the only current source” of information; when information is extracted it immediately becomes dated and subject to error.

Electronic communications going to all members and/or guests will be transmitted from the  HRMAInfo email address (note: this doesn’t include correspondence to individuals or small groups from Board Committees during the course of a Committee’s “normal” function - e.g., notification of new member status, requests to pay for “no-show” at an event). The Vice President for Communications has responsibility for all official chapter communications according to the HRMA Bylaws, and chapter-wide communications will flow through her or him. If it becomes necessary for emergency communications to the chapter members and the Vice President for Communications is unavailable, the President or an Executive Board Member delegated by the President will contact Princeton Online to ask them to send the communication to the chapter members. The President will also have access to the website communication tools for use in an emergency.

Ensuring only authorized use Access to website functionality and the online database is controlled by user-id, password, and security level. Misuse or sharing of a user-id and password is prohibited, and may result in the revocation of membership without refund. Contact information must never be bartered or sold.

Certain officers and committee chairs (e.g., Membership, Treasurer, and Hospitality) are granted special security authorizations to perform functions in support of their position. Elected (i.e. Executive) Board Members will receive authorization for read-access to an online membership listing of contact information. Requests from appointed Committee Chairs may receive access to information through the process defined in “Maintaining user confidence in the information and data” section above.  General members of HRMA can access a membership roster including name, company, and title. General members can also search the online directory by name and company for contact information. The VP for Communications maintains security authorizations.

Honoring contracts with our users The following Privacy Statement appears on all forms requiring users to provide HRMA with personal information: HRMA respects the privacy of our members and guests, and does not sell or rent labels or email addresses. At the discretion of the Board, HRMA may provide to Co-sponsors of events a single set of our membership mailing labels or email addresses limited to use in the co-sponsored event. Memberships are subject to revocation for unauthorized solicitation or use of HRMA's membership roster, and may be subject to prosecution.

All members and guests will have the opportunity to “opt out” from receiving emails and solicitations from HRMA.

Facilitation of networking One of the foundations of HRMA is networking among members. To this end, the online roster and directory search functions facilitate contacts among members. The Communications Committee will continue to research additional technologies such as List Servers and Bulletin Boards to facilitate networking and information exchange among our HRMA members.

Maintain and improve function and appearance of the system HRMA will continue to protect and enhance the value of the website and database to ensure the integrity of its content, guard against misuse, and support improvement as needed in both appearance and function.

Scott Richardson,
VP Communications